The Owl Newsletter

CDE Sarc Report Format Gets a Harsh Evaluation by UCLA Law School Study

ISSUE 70 | OCTOBER 7, 2005

[This free e-mail newsletter about school information, accountability and the public is provided by School Wise Press. To add a colleague's name to the distribution, please send us their names and e-mail addresses to: stever@schoolwisepress.com. If you'd rather not receive this, simply notify us by phone at (415) 337-7971, or by e-mail, including the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line of your message.]

This owl has spotted some bright lights in the dark woods. In the forest grove of academia, a practical, public-spirited law professor named Gary Blasi has asked whether California school districts using the CDEs SARC template are really informing their public. His team's answer — one you may have suspected long ago — is "no."

Prof. Blasi's method is funny and street-smart. He tried out real SARC reports on citizens and asked them questions. And he applied technical measures of linguistic complexity to the writing.

His team assembled two groups of Rotary Club members, and after giving them copies of a Los Angeles high school's SARC, asked them to answer very simple questions about the school's students and teachers. The premise: if Rotarians don't get it, most citizens won't get it either.

Nearly two-thirds of these civic minded, well-educated Rotarians were unable to determine whether the school was fully staffed, and whether teachers' credential status had improved over three years. About one-third of them were unable to determine whether students were scoring higher or lower than the state average. About three-fourths were unable to determine what percentage of students were taking college prep courses.

When his team applied measures of linguistic complexity, he found the readability test score indicated a person would need 17.2 years of education to understand most of the SARC. This makes it more difficult to understand than the IRS instructions for the 1040-A and the VIOXX patient information form. In fact, it was more difficult to understand than Prop. 98 itself, the law which brought the SARC into the California constitution seventeen years ago.

Read the press release and the full-length study (22 pages, PDF format).

The SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS editorial page carried a strong follow-up story five days later. Its headline read: "School Reports Hard To Find and Use." The editorial affirmed the critical importance of annual reports. This is a heartening for the person in your district with SARC responsibilities, because it praised district leaders who do this job well (including San Jose USD).

But this editorial also carried a precaution. It warned that "inundating parents with data doesn't constitute accountability." This owl has another precaution to offer. A data dump is likely to produce distrust and skepticism with your earnest public, the ones with a need-to-know and the courage to tackle the data tables. Prof. Blasi's study uncovered this risk. Dumping data at the doorstep of your public may actually erode their goodwill. When you ask for their vote when you put a parcel tax on the ballot, they may remember that someone tried to snooker them before with annual reports that looked suspiciously dense and overly technical.

Armed with this UCLA study and the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS' editorial, your board members may ask you if your accountability reports are effective. Are you prepared to answer "yes" if asked? Do you have evidence of effectiveness? Do you measure readership of your SARCs on your district's Web site? Do you ask parents if they understand your reports, and if not, what parts they find daunting?

SOME PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to avoid these risks, and make wise use of this opportunity to report results effectively.

1. BEST PRACTICE IN MEASURING SARC READERSHIP. You may find San Jose USD's efforts to measure effectiveness worth emulating.

2. TECHNICAL ANALYSES OF LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY. Professional tools exist to measure the complexity of written works. Why not apply them to your own communications? If you establish a district standard for communications, including SARCs, that is equivalent to your local newspaper, you can measure with some precision how you compare. These tools are available from a Texas firm called Micro Power and Light. Their phone: (214) 553-0105. The price is under $100 for a license.

3. ASK YOUR PUBLIC IF THEY UNDERSTAND YOUR SARCS. Why not ask a group of your parents what they understand from reading the SARC for their children's schools? Follow the method used by Prof. Blasi. Draft simple questions that parents should be able to answer after reviewing a SARC, and review their responses.

4. ASK YOUR PUBLIC IF THEY EVER SEE YOUR SARCS. Climate studies are used as a serious listening drill by leading districts like Elk Grove USD and San Jose USD. Why not include questions in your own climate study asking parents if they have ever seen a SARC. If so, in what form -- printed or online. How long did they spend reading it? Did they discuss it with others?

Good luck in your efforts to meet the higher standards of the current accountability era.